You Kiss Like a Little Kid
by danieloquence
Summary: Danny, Sam, and Tucker are all at the ripe old age of 22. Will their future plans involve each other, or will their friendship fall apart? [originally titled TOO MANY CHANCES, story still in progress]
1. American Woman

**You Kiss Like a Little Kid**

_((**Author's Note:** Originally titled "Too Many Chances", I wrote this one a while back, and it originally stopped short. But, being the romantic sap that I am, I added onto it and changed the ending. So read on, and let me know what you think. : P.S. – All DP-related things belong to good old Butch Hartman, not me. - Do I really need to explain this? - The only characters I added are Jesse, Hannah, and Evan, who do not appear in the cartoon. Just read it, people.))_

They were sitting on the pier again, the moon spilling over the still waters like her black hair over her shoulders. She was dressed in black, with a long flowing dress that reached her ankles and tied around her neck. The tiny faux gemstones trickled down from the neckline to her side, and he was just admiring her beauty. She stared over the horizon, swinging her bare feet idly. Her beauty was natural; she hadn't the need for layers and layers of makeup like all the other girls he'd met. (And he had never _fallen in love _with any of _them_.) She had been left alone at the formal dance, the third date in two months that had stood her up. But she didn't complain; she chalked it up to human stupidity and left with him instead of moping in the girls' restroom as most had done.

And here they were, sitting together in the sweet silence. And though he shifted with a slight hint of nervousness in his black suit, each other's company was not a hard thing to enjoy. The inches between them were almost comforting, because every time a boy broke another piece of her heart, he wanted to fill the empty space. But he knew she didn't need it right then -- not then, not ever. So sooner or later the feeling went away... but this time it was so strong he knew he could break at any moment. And break he did. She turned to face him, silent but dangerous, and he lifted his hands to her face. He pressed his lips to hers quickly and gently, and then moved away swiftly as he had come. "Danny?" she whispered. He could only stare at her.

"DANNY! DANNY FENTON!" a different voice demanded, breaking the stillness of the moment as he came to consciousness. With a loud, exhausted groan, Danny woke up to his roommate smacking his face with a little too much force.

"We're outta here, man. Today's the day." A dark-skinned boy grinned.

"Tucker, what time is it?" Danny asked, his voice deep and raspy, thick with sleep.

"Like, 12 noon, you idiot!" Tucker Foley laughed, yanking the dark blue comforter, revealing a boxer-clad and shivering Danny.

"Nice smiley faces, Joe," Tucker snickered.

Danny ran a hand through his midnight-colored hair.

"Gee thanks, Sucker," he shot back.

"That is so old, man. Now go get dressed! We gotta get going so we can get the heck outta here. Our years in college are finally OVER!" Tucker leapt up and punched the air excitedly.

At 22, the two boys were as rowdy and hilarious as ever. But slowly Danny was turning into a man, while Tucker was still craving parties and stupidity. Responsibility separated the two in maturity, but they were still the best of friends. And by two o clock, the boys were on the road home, bags packed and ready for the long, beautiful summer.

"It's finally summer, Tuck," Danny mused.

"Yep," Tucker responded sleepily. The two guys were sitting on Danny's front lawn idly, the warm summer sun beginning to set lazily behind the horizon. When Danny closed his eyes, he could still picture that dream and feel how he felt. It was early June, and the two guys had spent time with their families for the whole first week. Old friends had come from everywhere to reach home, that first year being the hardest, and had a huge party at Samantha Manson's house. Sam, as her two best guy friends and virtually everybody else adoringly called her, came from an extremely wealthy family. Just as the stars began to blink their nocturnal eyes, a loud honk erupted from a nearby vehicle. The two boys shielded their eyes at a pair of blinding headlights, belonging to a bright red Corvette convertible in Danny's driveway. Not his, mind you - Sam's.

"Hello, kiddies," she said cheerfully, slamming the glossy red door. "Hi, Sam," the boys chorused back to her. She took a running leap and jumped straight over Tucker, tackling Danny full- force and sending him almost into the street.

"You really have to stop doing that, Sam. Honestly. You're a grown woman now!" Tucker told her. She laughed and sat in between them.

"Why are you so uncharacteristically upbeat?" Tucker asked. Danny was still trying to gain his breath back.

"Oh, just a little announcement my wonderful fiancé just made," she grinned. She seemed to be bursting at the seams.

"Oh?" Tucker raised an eyebrow.

"Yep! We're leaving tomorrow morning for London! We're eloping... and we'll be there all summer!" Sam beamed.

"Wow, that's great, Sam!" Tucker grinned, the bit of black hair in a patch on his chin becoming emphasized with his smile. Danny just stared at her, blank- faced and beardless.

"Aren't you happy for me, Danny? I'm finally going to have a decent guy - forever! It'll be kind of hard for my HUSBAND to stand me up," Sam giggled.

Tucker laughed and quickly hugged her. They broke the hug and Sam stared at Danny questioningly. He broke his solemn glazed stare and forced a smile.

"That's awesome Sam. I'm glad you found yourself a winner." He didn't even hug her; she didn't reach for him. She just waved to both of them as she hopped into her car.

"Gotta do some last-minute packing. See you guys later!" she honked the horn at Danny's house and the boys waved lazily back.

"That's so cool," Tucker smirked.

"Yeah. The coolest." Danny said sarcastically. But before Tucker could ask what he meant, a beautiful dark-haired, chocolate-skinned girl walked up the sidewalk. She did a double take in Tucker's exact direction.

"Tucker? Tucker Foley?" she asked.

"That's the one!" He laughed.

"Hannah Baker, tenth grade." She smiled and motioned for him to come with her.

"So nice to see you again, Hannah," Tucker told her. He took her hand and waved to Danny. And with that, the pair walked away, leaving Danny to his jumbled thoughts.


	2. Jesse's Girl

Danny walked into his house and sat with a sigh at his kitchen table. His mother, a bit older-looking with a few gray hairs (and a few added pounds around her middle) smiled at him.

"It's so nice to see you home, Danny," she said lovingly.

"It's nice to be home, Mom," he said, about as enthusiastically as a man on death row.

"Honey, you sound about as enthusiastic as a man on death row! What's troubling you?" Maddie Fenton asked him.

"Nothing really," he lied. _Man_, he thought cynically, _I sure have gotten good at fudging the truth at my own expense._

"Alright dear. But you know if you need to talk, I'm here." Maddie said.

"Okay Mom. Thanks," Danny smiled weakly.

Just then, Danny's father burst into the room. "MADDIE!" he yelled. "THERE'S A STRANGE MAN IN OUR HOUSE!" he pointed in Danny's direction, and before Maddie could correct him, burst into laughter.

"Danny, it's so much fun to be able to pick on you again!" Jack rubbed his son's hair playfully.

"Thanks, I guess..." Danny shook his head. "I'm gonna head off to bed," he announced.

"Already?" Maddie asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm beat. Long week. Love you guys," he said, pulling himself out of his chair with all his might.

"Don't let the ghost bugs bite!" Jack offered his fatherly wisdom.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I won't, Dad." And with that, Jack and Maddie watched nostalgically as their youngest child took the stairs to his old bedroom.

The next morning, Sam Manson had all her bags packed and taken to their comfortable limousine by 9 am. She hadn't told the boys what time she was leaving so she didn't have to feel guilty about leaving them alone all summer. She took one last look at her favorite room in the Manson mansion – hers. And with a deep, contented breath, she ran down the stairs to the living room. Her parents were out for the morning, making last minute arrangements and buying a few things, and her fiancé wouldn't be arriving until 11, so she was on her own until then. The time was officially 10:30 now. She swung open the front door with her eyes closed and inhaled some fresh air. The sunbursts were everywhere, and splashed down upon her world like so many hopes and dreams. When she finally opened her violet eyes, she gasped loudly. A dark-haired boy sat on her front steps, and now stared back at her.

"Hi," he said sleepily.

"What are you doing here?" Sam demanded, surprised.

"Just wanted to say bye before you left us for your new life," Danny smiled sadly and sat down in her grass.

"I'm not leaving you." Sam scoffed.

"Yes, you are," Danny argued.

"Am not!" Sam argued back, her eyes flashing with mock anger and duress.

"Are too," he smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. Without warning, she leapt into the grass and right on top of him.

"AM NOT!" she demanded while sitting on his stomach.

He nearly choked. "Okay, okay, you're not," he said, his voice forced and croaky.

"Thought so," Sam said proudly, sticking her nose up. While her eyes were closed, Danny shoved her off of him, and she leapt back up. He sat with his legs crossed Indian-style, and she tripped and landed in his lap. He closed his eyes and she looked up at him.

"I'm comfy," she added playfully.

He stopped breathing for a millisecond and she rested her head on his chest. It was a very awkward position for Danny, having his best female friend in his lap claiming her comfort while he really just wanted to run, while at the same time he wanted to slide his hands around her waist and whisper how much he loved her in her ear. And suddenly, as if possessed by the idea, he slid his arms around her waist and she tensed a bit. But she looked up at his smiling face and relaxed.

"So what are you going to do while I'm gone?" she asked him. But his mind was elsewhere. His pulse quickened and he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Danny?" she said curiously.

"Huh? Oh, uh, what was the question?" he asked nervously.

"Uh, what are you doing all summer?" she repeated.

"Oh. Right. Nothing really," he told her. "Job-hunting. Apartment-hunting. Ghost-hunting. Whatever works." Danny had given up ghost-fighting when he had left for college, figuring they'd all be bored fighting him (and losing) by then. He had grown very strong and capable of suppressing the ghost-powers that had become a burden to him for so long.

"Uh huh," she nodded. A slight breeze picked up and blew her hair in his face. The time was ticking by faster now, and the eleven o clock hour was ever closer. Five minutes left to spare, by Sam's silver watch. Danny's heart beat faster with every motion the quickest hand made. Sam just sat there, unmoving. He couldn't tell what she was feeling. He hoped something, for his sake, mostly. He silently prayed he wouldn't have a heart attack, and that Sam wouldn't hear his quickened pulse.

"Sam," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?" she asked him.

"Don't leave," he whispered in her ear.

"Whaaaat?" She leapt out of his arms and stared down at him.

He jumped up and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't leave me here." He said simply.

"Danny, don't be insane, you'll have Tucker and your family and our other friends," Sam tried to stop his crazy notions.

"No, Sam, it's not the same, it won't measure up," Danny shook his head.

"What do you mean, it won't measure up? Danny, what's wrong with you?" Sam asked him.

He put his hands up to the sides of his head.

"Come on, Danny, help me understand a little bit here!" Sam insisted. "Because right now, I really don't!" she snapped.

"Well, I'm sorry you don't understand! I'm sorry in all our years of friendship you haven't been able to see how crazy I am about you! I'm sorry after all the breakups you are still looking beyond your hometown! And most of all, I'm sorry that you don't understand I've been too afraid to admit to you that I really think I love you!" Danny blurted.

Sam stood there, dumbfounded.

"You... you _love_ me?" she repeated, unbelieving.

"Yes! With all my heart! Every bit of me, Sam! I can't get you out of my head!" Danny said, his face getting paler by the minute. How could he do this to her on the day her life was going to change for the better?

"How can you do this NOW, Danny? Why, when you had a million chances, did you wait until I was getting MARRIED to tell me?" Sam demanded.

"You're not getting married! You're eloping!" Danny yelled back at her.

"Same idea, stupid!" she snapped back. "And this is absolutely unbelievable." Sam told him. At the worst possible time, a familiar blue sports car pulled into her driveway.

"That would be Jesse," she said simply.

"I guess so," Danny said scornfully.

"Look, I'm glad you got that off your chest and all, but life isn't a fairytale, Danny. Life is real and when you fall in love, sometimes it hurts. It's not always perfect. And that's why I have to... go, now. Goodbye, Danny." Sam said, starting towards the blue car. She took one last moment to turn and cast him a desperate glance.

Danny sighed and looked at her, as she stood there, frozen.

Jesse motioned to her, staring at her quizzically, demandingly. Danny wanted to punch him in his face. Sam opened the door and, slowly, slid into the passenger's seat, clicking in her seatbelt and looking down at the dashboard.

"You never did like happy endings, did you, Sam?" Danny asked paradoxically. He watched stuck in time, as that stupid blue car drove off into the horizon - a place where his eyes fell too very often. Within a few moments, reality crashed upon him like a tidal wave, with no support to steady his knocking knees. And now Sarcasm, his long-time friend, had finally stabbed him in the back.


	3. Boys of Summer

He wandered back to his house, tears flooding his vision, slamming the front door behind him. He ran past his mother and father, who were arguing over what to make for lunch, up the old rickety stairs and into his old bedroom. It was then that he decided that he was going to move as far away from that town as he could get. Maybe Africa would be nice this time of year. Or Iceland.

He slammed his bedroom door with such force he thought he might have broken it. He flopped back onto his bed, but jumped back up, too upset to relax. He was going to punch the plaster to his left when his cell phone rang, startling him.

"Yeah?" he answered abruptly.

"Yo, dude, what's wrong with you? We're supposed to go check out apartments today, and you sound like you want to throttle me."

_Tucker_. Danny blew out his breath and ran his hand through his hair. "I have no idea what's wrong with me—okay, yeah I do. Or, I did, but it's kind of over with now. I mean, it's over with on one end…"

"Danny, is this about Sam and Jesse? Because, if that's what's this is about, you have known about 'them' for a while now, and you've been fine with it. Or at least, you've pretended to. And I realize that you were in love with her when we were kids, but Sam's all grown up now, Danny." Tucker's reasoning just made Danny madder.

"I'm not going anywhere, today, Tuck. I just can't."

"You can't, or you won't?"

"I won't."

"Okay then. I'm going to go anyway, if you don't care. I'll just take Hannah instead."

"Hannah? Why would you take Hannah with you to look at apartments?"

"Well, she and I might get one."

"TUCKER – you just saw the girl _yesterday_. Things can't possibly be _that _serious yet," Danny practically fell off the bed.

"What's this about _serious? _She and I can have a place without being all _committed_. She and I are different from you I guess now, man, and I don't know why you're all of a sudden getting all religious on me, but lay off. I'll do what I want, and nobody's gonna stop me. Got it?" Tucker's voice was thickly laced with ice, and Danny knew when to let things go.

"Fine, Tucker. But don't expect me to bring a housewarming gift." And with that, he threw the phone across the room.

And broke it.

With that _crash_ and _shatter_, his bedroom door swung open.

"Are you alright?" squeaked a familiar voice.

"Jazz!" he yelled excitedly, leaping off his bed to rush her.

"No, no," she started to say before he threw his arms around her and lifted her around in circles. He released her, letting her feet gently rest on the floor, and she looked up at him fiercely. "You always have to do that, don't you?"

"You'd better be extra careful with my girl, Danny, or I'll have to hurt you," called a male voice from the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh yeah? And why's that, Mr. Jackson?" Danny shot back, crossing his strong arms.

"Come down here, and we'll tell you together," the man called Mr. Jackson smiled.

Jazz grabbed Danny's wrist and pulled him behind her down the steps. Danny and "Mr. Jackson" hugged and laughed, beating each others backs.

"So, why can't I swing my sister around like I _always _do?" Danny asked, raising a dark eyebrow.

"Well," Jazz's eyes lit up. Her parents were seated on the couch, waiting patiently. "The reason you need to be extra careful with me, is because Evan and I are… well, actually, I am…"

"You're what?" Danny asked, frowning confusedly.

"She's pregnant," Evan announced. Mrs. Fenton was off the couch before he even got those words out, screaming and squealing and jumping, hugging her daughter as they both laughed excitedly. The two women then walked into the kitchen, chatting excitedly, a mile a minute.

"Nice going, you ol' charmer," Jack Fenton elbowed Evan in his side playfully, and the two men laughed and hugged.

"Thanks," Evan grinned, amused. "So, what do you think, Dan-Man? Which do you prefer – Uncle Dan, Uncle Danny, or Uncle Daniel?"

"I'll get back to you on that," Danny smirked. "Congratulations, man."

They exchanged a short, tight "man-hug", and Danny waved to the two fathers before walking out the front door.

"Where are you going, son?" Jack hollered after him.

"Nowhere," he announced.

And he pretty much believed it.

Feeling too down to even whistle as he usually did, Danny dragged his feet all the way to the small backyard, where he plopped down at the old picnic table.

The back sliding door opened with a squeak, and the pregnant redhead made her way over to his seat. She gracefully rested across from him, and stared at him until he lifted his ice blue eyes to her face.

"Hi, little brother," she smiled.

"Hi," he responded, dropping his gaze back to his hands.

"What's going on in that head of yours? Aren't you excited to be an uncle?"

"Of course I am, Jazz, it's just… nothing."

"Danny, look at me," Jazz scored him with a furrowed brow, and he looked up at her again. "You look like you've been punched in the face. What's wrong?"

"You know how I've always been in love with Sam?"

Jazz blinked in surprise. Of _course_ she had known, it had gotten to a point where it was obvious to almost everyone (except Jack, and _Sam _of course). But to hear him say it so plainly was surprising to her. "Of course," she nodded.

"You did?" Danny asked her, looking almost shocked.

"Danny. You haven't dated anyone since the fourth grade. So, we all figured, either you were gay, or you were in love with Sam. We all went with the latter. It's not hard to see."

"I… you thought I was gay?"

"No."

"You just said you did. And who's we?" Danny put his hands on the table.

"Everyone noticed your undying affection for Sam, except her."

"You got that right."

"So what about her? Isn't she engaged to that rich Jesse kid?" Jazz stared.

"Yeah," Danny nodded.

"And?"

"And," Danny continued, "they're leaving today for London."

"I thought her wedding wasn't for another year!" Jazz's jaw dropped.

That was it. Danny leapt up from the table.

"I know!" He thundered, pacing a few feet from where Jazz sat. "It's the dumbest thing I have EVER heard of. What girl wants to get whisked off to London in a blue sports car at 11 AM for the ENTIRE SUMMER?" He spun and looked to his sister to agree. She smirked.

"Well…" Jazz rolled her eyes around, trying not to smile at his naiveté.

"Jazz!"

"Well, Danny, to be honest, I can see why Sam feels the need to run off with this guy."

"How can you say that? I thought you were on _my _side!" Danny looked at her, forlorn.

"Danny. I love you so much, but you're an idiot. You had a million chances to tell Sam how you felt, and you were so afraid of rejection that you didn't take the chance."

"YES I DID!" Danny screamed.

"When?" Jazz asked, shocked.

"THIS MORNING!"

"WHAT?" Jazz screeched.

"Yeah, I know, it was stupid," Danny threw his hands up. "But what else was I supposed to do? She was leaving me! I had no choice but to tell her!"

"Danny, that was a really selfish thing for you to do."

"What? Honesty is selfish now?"

"No, you moron, telling your best friend that you're romantically interested in her on her wed… elopement day is a pretty darn stupid thing to do. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't! It's her fault! She's so freaking beautiful, and intelligent, and independent…"

"Oh, Danny." Jazz looked up at him, sadly.

"What."

"You've got it bad, don't you?"

"I thought you already knew that."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. But this is one thing that even I can't fix. She has a new life, Danny. And as much as I wish things were different for you, they're not. She's gone, baby brother, and if you really love her – you'll let her go." Jazz rose from the picnic table and extended her arms to him. He stepped into her like he was a little boy again, afraid of the ghosts in his closet. He always went to Jazz, because he knew his father would've gotten out his latest gadget to try, but Jazz just hugged him and promised him that he was safe.

But this time, she _couldn't _promise him that. And it hurt like nothing ever had.


	4. Vindicated

There was a downpour that afternoon and he was driving back the way he had come, back down over the hills and past the buildings, back to his neighborhood. All day he had wasted looking downtown for an apartment. None of them suited him; none of them were small enough for one lonely man. All of them made him want Sam even more. He tried not to cry, because he was more angry at himself for being stupid than sad that she was gone.

Who was he kidding? His whole world was on its way to London.

And it was never coming back.

He was almost to his neighborhood when he spotted his favorite thinking place – Amity Park. His mind was flooded with childhood and adolescent memories, and he decided to stop. He parked in the tiny parking lot, turned off the engine, and opened his door to the downpour. He welcomed the humidity and the rain, letting it soak deep into his clothes and even deeper to his skin. If a breeze had reached Amity Park, it would've chilled him. His black hair stuck to his face, and he laughed, almost maniacally, like a madman. He laughed at the absurdity of his life, laughed at how upset he was, at how irreversibly in _love _he was.

The rain lightened a bit, and he walked hands-in-pockets toward his favorite swing-set on top of the hill. He was halfway up the small grassy mountain when he noticed a drenched silhouette already rocking a pair of the chains, slowly. He made his way up, wondering who would be crazy enough (besides him) to be out in the rain. Once at the top, he plopped down on the right swing before turning to his left to inspect his rain-dancing partner.

"Hey, what's…?" His eyes shot open, and got stung by dirty raindrops from his sopping hair. He tried to keep his jaw from dropping, and thought back to the course of the day to see if any drugs were in his system. No, he didn't ever do drugs – the person in front of him was real.

Bloodshot violet eyes met his, and flooded with fresh tears. Without thinking or asking, Danny was out of the swing and on his knees in front of Sam Manson.

"Sam, why aren't you in London right now?"

She started crying again, and started to get up from the swing, and Danny shot to his feet again, opening his arms to her. She heaved her arms around his waist and squeezed him so tight he thought he'd lose his breath. He clung to her so tightly in return he was afraid he might crush her. He stroked her wet mop of black hair and held her head to his chest, praying she couldn't feel the quickening of his pulse. They stood there like that, rocking back and forth, both crying openly. It was too much for Danny, all of the emotion of the day weighing on him like a backpack filled with boulders. And seeing Sam cry was just the crappy icing on a really bad cake.

But seeing Sam, in front of him, instead of with Jesse, broke and mended his heart all at once. The confusing flux of emotion made him cough, and she pulled away from him.

"I…" she started, yanking her wrists across her eyes and looking down. "Jesse and I had a huge fight. He asked me what I was thinking about, and I told him, and he immediately made all this false accusations… horrible things, things I would never do to him. He said that he…" she choked up again. "He said that he couldn't be with me… that if… if I could be unfaithful now… then I probably would be later." She burst into more tears. "How dare he! How dare he tell me that I was unfaithful to him, that I was… that I was…"

Her eyes stared past Danny, into the distance, and her face relaxed as if she were realizing something.

"That you were what?" Danny asked her softly.

Her eyes sheepishly met his again.

"In love with you," she added, just a hint above a whisper.

"But you're not," Danny choked, "so this will all blow over. And you'll be married by the end of the year, you know that, right? You deserve him, Sam, you really do. You deserve a guy who's open about stuff, and who loves you for who you are."

Sam laughed a little, and it sounded like a cough-choke.

"You're so adorable, Danny," she said, almost teasingly. Almost.

He blinked twice, staring at her. "I'm… adorable? Why am I adorable?"

"Because," she laughed, sitting down on the swing.

He stared at her, completely confused.

"Just push me," she said, gripping the chains with her pale hands.

"Uh… okay," he shrugged, walking behind her.

She lifted her feet, and he gave her a little push.

"Come on, Fenton," she egged him on, "tell me you're stronger than you were when we were fourteen."

"Oh, you're saying I'm weak, huh?" Danny smirked. Instead of pushing her this time, his arms slid around her waist and he yanked her out of the swing and up into the air, hoisting her up over his shoulder.

"DANNY! Danny Fenton, you stop this craziness right now!" she squealed, kicking and laughing and swatting at his head.

"Alright," he said, pretending he was going to drop her. She screamed, and he held her strongly, resting her feet gently on the ground just in time for her to smack him.

"Ow," he said to her, not even bothering to rub his shoulder.

"I told you I hate when you do that." Sam said, looking up into his eyes. It was so different from when they were younger, eye-to-eye; Danny had grown tall in the last four years of his teenage-hood, and looked down at Sam from the time they had reached their eighteenth year.

"Sorry," he said softly, smiling like a child.

They fell silent, and soon they wandered back to the swings, Sam on the left, Danny on the right. It was how they had always done it, when Tucker was busy with his million girlfriends. The guy had grown a goatee, and you'd think he was _Denzel_ or something.

"What will you do, when I move away?" Sam asked him quietly, breaking the silence.

Danny sighed audibly. "I don't know."

"Why not?" she turned to face him.

"Why not… what?" Danny asked her.

"Why don't you know?"

"Because," he started. But he thought it would be best if he didn't finish.

"Because why." She fixed him with a stern glare, and he let out a humorless laugh.

"Because I always imagined that you and I would be around each other forever. But you and I went to different colleges; you found Jesse and a whole new future for yourself. I guess I'm just stuck in the past, that's all." He allowed a pinch of vulnerability and heartbreak escape his heart through his blue-eyed gaze before dropping it again.

"Danny…" Sam started. But she stopped. And began again, differently. She didn't dare look at him, but she continued.

"What if Jesse doesn't come back for me? What if he really is done with me? What do I do then? I planned the rest of my life around this guy I've only known for a semester."

"I told you that was stupid." Danny told her.

"You told me you planned your future around me!" Sam gaped.

"Yeah, but I've known you all my life." He allowed a smile to pull up a corner of his lips.

"Touché," she laughed a little.

"I've gotten witty, thanks to college," he laughed, too.

"Good old college," she said sarcastically. "You know, I always thought the kids in college would be sophisticated and grown-up. And do you know what I discovered?"

"What?" Danny asked her, dying for her just to speak again.

"They're all the same."

"What about Jesse?"

"Danny, you should've heard some of the things he said to me. He used language I didn't know was even a part of his vocabulary. I don't know if I could be with him even if he came back with a whole new way to sweep me off my feet."

Danny wanted to say something, but his heart was lodged threateningly between his throat and his voice box.

"Do you know what else I discovered?" She didn't let him ask what. "I discovered that the words 'I love you' felt so _forced _with Jesse. It was like all this conjured-up passion. I don't know if it was real at all. I feel like he was just a substitute for the…" She stopped for a moment, embarrassed that she had said a word.

"For what?" Danny asked her, laughingly expecting her next sentence.

"For the real thing."

"Who's that? Brad Pitt?"

Sam laughed and fell silent again. She looked down at her shoes, the grass, her hands, and then, reluctantly, at Danny's beautiful blue eyes.

"No, Danny," she added, "the real thing is somebody that I've known for as long as I can remember. He's got this great smile that just lights up his whole face and the rest of the room. His hair is always messy, especially when he wakes up in the morning and isn't ready for the day. His eyes are bluer than the sky in springtime, his hair is darker than dusk…"

She didn't get a chance to elaborate further. She heard the rustling of chains, and then she saw those same eyes drilling into her own, begging her to stand. Nearly entranced by the gaze, she rose from the swing and found herself in Danny's strong arms as the rain decided to pelt the ground below again. Her heart rushed to pump blood through her system as adrenaline coursed through her veins. Without warning, Danny's face was a centimeter from hers, and she closed her eyes as he pressed his lips gently against her own. She stood on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck, warmth flooding her from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, and she suddenly felt off balance. No, she _was _off balance, and soon she felt herself toppling forward, on top of Danny – no, falling _through _Danny, who had become completely transparent (literally). She shrieked as she realized that she, too, was see-through, and then rolled over instinctively as they humanized again and hit the grassy floor with a _thud. _

"That hasn't happened in almost five years." He looked over at her, grinning.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she mumbled breathlessly, and he just laughed. He laughed so hard and so joyfully she felt like her heart would burst open. She got up on her knees, and bent down to kiss him again. She did – on his forehead, on his nose, on both cheeks… As she drew back again he lifted himself up to sit rather than lie down, and she sat, too. Right after this, though, Danny had his fingers in her hair and was pulling her face toward his own, kissing her on the lips once, twice, three times rapidly until she was giggling at his silly way of kissing. It felt like being kissed by a small child, who had no idea what he was doing.

"You don't have much practice, do ya, sport?" she asked him, giggling harder as he rose to his knees and kissed her cheeks and forehead and hair and ear… Then he stopped kissing her, and pulled her to her feet as he rose to his own. He didn't say anything to her, he just pulled her close to him and held her so tightly she could hear his heavy heartbeat right beside her ear, just beneath his black cotton t-shirt. She felt him brush his cheek against her hair as if he were moving toward her ear, and she feared he would kiss it again and send her into fits of giggles. She was about to push him away when he started to whisper something.

"I don't care if you don't say this back," he said, his voice rising just slightly above a whisper, growing clearer with each word. "I don't care if you feel this way back, or if this scares you, or even if it pisses you off. But, Sam, _I love you_. I am so in love with you I don't think I could ever feel this much passion for another person in my entire lifetime – I don't think I ever will. And I know my timing sucks, and my kissing is horrible, and we've been friends forever. But if I can't have you as my very own – just mine, to take care of and to love, forever and ever, I think I'll die of loneliness."

Danny pulled away from her, hands resting in a gentle grip of her upper arms.

"What are you saying, Danny Fenton?" Sam asked him, trying not to cry again.

"I'm _asking _you to consider… making my future plans possible."

"Your… future plans?"

"Mmhmm."

"The ones with me always in them?"

"Those would be the ones, yes."

"Are you asking me to marry you?"

"You're planning a wedding anyway, aren't you?"

"You're so eloquent, Daniel Fenton."

"If you keep calling me that, it'll feel like I'm kissing our old teacher."

"Gross."

"Tell me about it."

Sam sighed loudly and held his arms just above his elbows. "I'll tell you one thing, Danny. This has been one of the longest and most emotionally draining days of my entire life. And a few hours ago, I hated you, and I wanted to drive to your house and just beat you until you felt as bad as I did. But then I realized… you probably already did. And I'll admit it, I did flaunt Jesse to you, and I did want you to see how happy we were together, because I've always been in love with you, and you never showed any kind of open interest in me."

Danny went to speak, but she pressed her four left fingers to his mouth, resting her thumb beside his chin.

"Let me finish. I was also very afraid of what would happen if anything… ya know, 'happened' between us. I thought about it, and wondered what would happen, and wondered if we'd be happy. But being with Jesse made me realize how much he… how much he wasn't you."

"Sam," Danny started, staring at her as his heart became a puddle.

She bit the inside of her left cheek and stared back up at him.

"I love you, Danny. With all my heart, I love you. I can't be without you another day. I want to marry _you._ Not Jesse, not anybody else…" she didn't get another word in edgewise, because Danny had her up in the air, spinning her in circles and laughing like a little boy.

It made her laugh, too. And she hadn't laughed much lately.

As they sat, drenched, on Sam's front steps, her left hand in Danny's right, she laughed aloud. He was tracing patterns over her knuckles, and her head was resting on his shoulder.

"I guess Jesse was right," she said softly.

"About what," Danny asked mockingly.

"That I was unfaithful to him." She smiled down at their entwined fingers.

"How can you say that? You two went everywhere together."

"No, I mean, in my heart. There was always someone else." She looked up at him, and he smiled, deep and warm. And it lit up his face, and her heart, and the whole front yard.

And she couldn't have asked for much more than that.


	5. Suite Madame Blue

"You wanna take a walk?" Sam asked Danny, staring up into his peaceful face.

"Hmm?" he asked. The stars were twinkling in the sky as the dark clouds parted. He peered back down at her.

"A walk. Do you know what a walk is?" she teased, batting her eyelashes playfully.

"I'm not sure. You could show me," he said, smiling warmly despite her sarcasm.

"Okay," she nodded, satisfied. Danny rose from the steps and extended his cold hand toward her, which she accepted, and he pulled her up next to him. Sam was completely content as he took her freezing, prune-y hand and led her on a stroll around the neighborhood. They walked past all of their landmarks, laughed about old memories as they were brought up, and just enjoyed each other's company. When they reached Sam's house once more, the porch light was on, and despite this, Danny gently pulled her close to him and kissed her softly.

"Goodnight, Sam," he said quietly. But he was still holding onto her, loosely.

"Goodnight, Danny," she responded, giving him another quick squeeze before carefully breaking the embrace.

_You're amazing, _she thought, smiling at him as she placed her foot in the door, but paused to turn and gaze at him again.

_You're perfect, _he thought, giving her a little lazy wave. She closed the door, and he turned away from her house, sighing contentedly. He had barely reached his car that was waiting in her driveway before he leapt into the air and let out a loud whoop. He suddenly felt eyes on him, and apologized to Sam's middle-aged neighbor, who just shook her head at him in response.

Danny rose the next morning at sunrise, long before anyone else in his house even stirred. He found the old way onto the roof, and just sat on it, staring at the blazing red sun as it peeked up over the horizon. The last few stars blinked out as it streaked its coral and yellow hues across the blue sky. Danny decided that he had only seen one thing more beautiful than that, and of course, that was Sam. _Sam, _he thought dreamily. It wasn't strange for him to think that way, despite the awkwardness this sort of thinking had brought about in his teen years. He was older and more mature now. And being out of college with no plans other than a good job and his own apartment, thoughts of Sam had come more frequently anyhow. He grew used to it, even fond of it, learning to embrace the fact that his heart wouldn't be occupied with another person, ever. He didn't love anyone as deeply or strongly as he loved Sam Manson. _Sam Fenton? _He thought, frowning a bit. _I wonder if she likes that…_

_Samantha Fenton, _Sam thought as she stirred awake. The sun was rising in the sky, pouring pinkish rays into her room through the window. She stretched and yawned, wondering about the events of the day before. They hadn't been a dream, or she would be waking up in Jesse's arms, in London. Strangely, the thought brought a twinge of sadness to her heart.

_Sam Fenton. _She thought again. A giggle rose in her throat, and she let it out in a loud burst. _Pretty soon, I could be Mrs. Samantha Fenton. Misses? That's so weird. _She pulled the covers back, and stepped out onto her bedroom balcony. Her dark purple silk robe danced a little about her legs in the early morning breeze. She smiled as the sun raised higher, casting the first bit of the day's warmth down below, onto her shoulders. It made her want someone to hold her, someone like… "Jesse?" she said aloud. The familiar blue sports car was parked in her driveway, and a tall, handsome man was opening the driver door. She instantly panicked and ran back into her room, closing the French doors and rushing for her closet. Realizing she hadn't unpacked yet, due to yesterday afternoon's depression, she pulled a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt from the top of her suitcase and dressed at lightning speed. Not bothering with her hair, or shoes, she crept down the stairs, and to the door, determined to keep her dignity in place. _Or what's left of it._

"Sam," Jesse said in a rush, rising from his seat on the porch.

"Jesse," Sam responded flatly, crossing her arms.

"You look… great," he said, smiling weakly at her with perfect white teeth.

She didn't smile. "You look like you need to shave."

"I do," he said, trying to laugh, but it came out like a choke.

Sam looked past him to the cold, glow-less streetlight. He turned to see what she was looking at, fiddling with his thumbs. Sam tried her best not to notice that his disheveled hair and scruffy, whiskered jaw made him look very handsome. And she tried not to remember why she had been attracted to him in the first place as he stared at her. His eyes weren't as blue as Danny's, but they had a hint of green, and today they were big… and sad.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue about how we look. In fact, I didn't come here to argue at all," Jesse said, advancing toward her. She backed up a step, keeping her arms tightly crossed.

"Then why _are _you here?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Why else would I be here, Sam? I love you, and I want to apologize to you for the idiot that I was yesterday. I guess it drove me crazy to think that anybody else could catch your eye," he stepped closer, despite her obvious disgust.

"Some of the things you said to me yesterday are things I can't forget," she said simply.

"But the question is, can you forgive me?" He rested both of his hands on her upper arms, squeezing gently and staring at her hopefully. She didn't raise her eyes, nor did she push him away. "Come on, Sammy. You know people say stupid things, especially when they're angry." He bent down and lifted her chin with his index finger, pressing his lips to hers with more force than passion. Sam pulled away first, but his hands were still resting on her arms.

She faced him now, violent violet eyes meeting his.

"Jesse, I…" she started, and pulled completely away from him.

"You what?" he asked her, standing helplessly before her.

"Part of what you said yesterday," she began, "_part _of it was true."

Jesse stared at her, his mouth a straight line. "Which part?"

She stared at her feet. "The part about Danny."

"_Danny_?" He exploded. "What _about _Danny?"

"I don't want to talk about this," she said, turning her back to him.

"Don't shut me out, Sam, just tell me! I'm a big boy, I can take it!"

"You never noticed, did you, Jesse?"

"Never noticed what?"

She spun to face him again. "You never realized how forced and fake my 'I love you' sounded, or how weak my smile was. You never paid attention to how distracted I'd get when you'd babble on about our future together. And finally, on what you figured should've been the happiest day of my life, I made it obvious for you to see."

"Made _what _obvious, Sam? The fact that you've been unfaithful to me?"

"NO!" She yelled, uncrossing her arms. "No, Jesse, in that -- you were wrong. I had shoved my feelings for Danny so far down that I thought I had finally gotten rid of them."

"Well, obviously you haven't, or we'd be sharing our first married day in London right now, wouldn't we?" Jesse accused, crossing _his _arms.

"You're such a bull-headed moron, you know that?" She yelled at him.

"Bull-headed! Sam, you're one of the most stubborn, selfish people I've ever met!" He hissed back, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Then why on _earth_ do you want to be with me?"

"I don't know!"

"Oh, that's great, Jesse. What a way to win me back. Do you even know _why _you 'love' me?" Sam made quotation marks with her fingers when she said "love".

"I thought I did," he said bitterly.

"Well, maybe you should've thought harder about that before you came back here and told me how you really feel." She moved toward the door.

"Wait, Sam. Tell me this. How would it make you feel if I kept you in the dark for an entire semester, and then saw my best female friend, and then got all quiet and weird. And when you asked me about it, I told you that I was rethinking _everything_. Would you honestly rejoice in the fact that I wanted to be with someone else?"

Sam blinked, and exhaled with purpose. "No."

"Exactly."

"But, Jesse, you proved my point with one phrase."

"What phrase was that, Sam?"

"_An entire semester,_" she repeated, staring at him.

He frowned. "What about it?"

"That's all the longer we've known each other. You tell me something, Jesse," Sam said.

"What." Jesse raised a dark brown eyebrow.

"What's my favorite ice cream flavor?"

"Sam, this is stupid."

"Tell me, Jesse."

"Chocolate?" he offered.

She smirked, almost sadly. "Vanilla."

"You'd probably say that even if I was right."

"Jesse! What's my favorite color?"

"Black?"

"Mm, no."

"Green?"

"Wrong again."

Jesse frowned, and stared hard at her, and took his lower lip between his teeth.

"It's blue, Jesse. _Blue_."

"I should've guessed," he said, laughing humorlessly.

"No, you should've _known_," she sighed.

"Is it really that important, Sam?"

"Is what really that important?"

"Me knowing your favorite things -- is it that important to you? Do you want me to learn them all; would that bring you back to me?" Jesse's sadness laced his last sentence.

Sam shook her head, passionless.

"If you're done with me, please tell me. And I'll never bother you again." His blue-green eyes held her gaze, as if he was trying to search her soul, but she wouldn't let him in.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Jesse. I do care about you. But I can't spend the rest of my life with you. I don't even really know you, and you don't really know me. I need to be seen for who I really am, not what someone wants me to be."

Jesse looked at her sadly, and nodded. "I understand."

Sam's pale-purple eyes widened. "You do?"

Jesse held up his hands. "I didn't say I liked it, I just said I understand. I'll be going then."

"Jesse?" Sam called as he reached for his door handle.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Take care of yourself."

"You, too." Jesse smiled at her wistfully before ducking into his car.

Sam wrapped her arms around herself, feeling a strange chill in the June air. She felt more forlorn than she thought she would as that car pulled out of her driveway, down the street, around the corner – out of her vision and out of her life. Just as she was about to turn and walk back into her house to sulk, the padding of sneakers caught her sensitive ears. A smile threatened to break her melancholy expression. _Danny._

"I couldn't wait another second," Danny announced, pulling up in front of her on the sidewalk.

"And the reason you ran instead of taking your car…?" Sam cocked an eyebrow.

Danny continued to attempt to catch his breath. "Because… got here just as fast… had to see you… car takes too long…"

Sam tried to smile, but it felt like it would break her face.

"Sam, why does it look like a smile might break your face?"

Danny's quizzing _blue _eyes met her slowly-risen gaze. Blue.

"Danny, what's my favorite color?" Her violet eyes shone with a childlike hope she thought she'd lost.

"Oh, that's easy," he said, finally starting to breathe normally again. "Blue."

Her heart swelled in her chest. "What's my favorite ice cream?"

He laughed, running a hand through his dark hair. "All-natural vanilla. You hate all the preservatives and added flavor…"

He didn't get a chance to finish. Sam had muffled the rest of the sentence by reaching up and pressing her lips to his. He melted, and rested his hands on her lower arms, which were now holding his face. She stared up at him, and then dropped her arms.

"I love you," she said, clinging to him.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Sam?"

"Can't a girl show emotion in front of her best friend?" She tried to laugh. Danny pushed his chin down and stared directly into her face. "Don't look at me like that," she frowned.

"Like what," he smirked.

"Like you can see right through me… It's scary."

"Of course it is. Now tell me what's wrong, before I have to get Tucker involved."

"Not Tucker," Sam gasped in mock horror.

"I know."

"Alright, you've got me," Sam smiled a little, before letting her face droop again. "Jesse was just here."

Danny's pulse raced. "What did he want?"

"What else? It seems I'm more irresistible than I realized possible."

"Sam," Danny searched her face, "what did he _want_?"

"He wanted me back, Danny."

He pulled out of her embrace. "And?"

"And what."

"And you said…?"

"I told him that I can't be with him because I haven't known him long enough."

Danny let a relieved sigh escape his lips.

"But…" Sam began.

"But… _what?_" Danny's pulse spiked again.

"I don't know, Danny, I guess everything's kind of fresh and confusing right now. It was hard to see him again."

"Sam. I don't want this to be complicated, or hard, or hurtful to you. If you're confused right now, I will leave you alone until you figure things out. I won't pressure you, or make you feel bad, or…"

"I know, Danny, I know. I don't want you to leave. I just want you to know I'm not up for deep emotional conversations right now. I am more maxed out than Paulina's credit card. Okay?"

"Okay." Danny dropped his blue eyes to the ground, wishing that such tension didn't have to exist. Maybe it would've been easier if he had just let Jesse have her? He looked at her, looking like a sad, confused puppy dog, and he laughed inwardly. _Yeah, right._


	6. We Are Family

Happily emerging from the basement, Jazzmine Jackson (formerly Fenton, of course) opened the door to something surprising. Loud, male humming poured from the kitchen, mingling with the smell of bacon, eggs, pancakes… She followed her nose, like an old-time cartoon, to where the loveliness was pouring from.

"Morning, Jazz," Danny calls, flipping a pancake.

"Danny! When did you learn how to cook?" Jazz smiled, standing next to him.

"I did learn _some _things in college, ya know," he laughed, kissing her cheek.

She inhaled the food smell deeply, and her mouth actually started to water. "You sure did, little brother. You seem much happier than yesterday… anything you want to talk about?"

He turned and smiled dreamily at her. She cocked a reddish eyebrow.

"Danny…" She leaned in menacingly. He held up his spatula.

"I promise, I didn't do anything evil to Jesse."

"Then what is this all about? Did you just decide to move on with your life?"

"You could say that," Danny said ambiguously, working with the pancakes again.

"Danny, where were you yesterday?" Jazz asked, buttering each one without being asked as he put them on a plate.

"At first I was doing some internet research for apartment rates in Timbuktu. But I got over that, and decided that I like where I live."

"You're going to stay in Mom and Dad's house forever?" Jazz choked.

"NO," he said, laughing. "I'm just not going to move very far, if I can help it."

"And that makes you _happy_? I thought our contest was to see who could get farther away from here the fastest?" Jazz sat the pancake plate on the table, and got a plate down for the bacon.

"No, that's not it." Danny smirked playfully, placing the greasy meat strips on the plate.

"Then what IS?" Jazz asked, her voice betraying that she was _dying_ to know.

"Sam," he said vaguely, smiling broader.

"What about Sam? Did she call you from London?"

"Nope."

"Will you stop making me guess? I diapered your sorry butt, I know how to kick it!"

"That's gross, Jazz."

"Sorry."

"Alright, I guess I can trust you…" Danny grinned as he turned off the burner and put the plate on the table beside the pancakes.

Jazz grinned in anticipation, helping Danny pour glasses of orange juice.

"I sort of… have a girlfriend," he announced, putting fresh plates around the table. Jazz took notice that he put six plates, rather than the basic five they needed.

"Really! That's great, Danny! When can we meet her?"

"She's coming to breakfast in about, twenty minutes."

"So _that _explains you showing off your cooking skills – you go, little brother, you go." Jazz kissed him on the cheek and helped him with the silverware.

"I've never been so happy in my life," he announced to her, smiling broadly.

"Aw, Danny, I'm so glad. But tell me, did you rush into this as a rebound relationship, or did you realize your feelings for this person once you gave up on Sam?"

Danny's blue eyes twinkled, danced. _Uh-oh, _Jazz thought. She didn't like that look.

He didn't say a word more about this new girlfriend, and that made Jazz more nervous.

But before she could grill him any further, yawns and scuffling feet were heard entering the kitchen. Jack's large frame came first, with short, curvy Maddie right behind him.

"Danny, Jazz! What is all this?" Maddie asked, smiling sleepily.

"Well, I made us food because my girlfriend is coming to breakfast." Danny looked down at the napkin he was folding, and heard an audible gasp from his mother.

Maddie and Jazzmine traded glances where Danny couldn't see. Jazz raised her eyebrows, and Maddie nodded subtly. Needless to say, breakfast at the Fenton household was probably going to become _very_ interesting.

"Well, that's great, Danny," Jack said, patting him on the back. "I always knew you had the good ol' Fenton charm in there somewhere!"

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him, Danny. You've always been charming. And trust me, if you got it anywhere, it was from _me_." She winked.

Danny chuckled as Jack's face turned sour, until Maddie handed him a cookie from a ghost-shaped jar.

Needless to say, Jack fell silent on the matter.

Jazz left the room, announcing that she was going to wake Evan from his beauty sleep. Maddie laughed and made a joking comment about husbands, which she handed Jack another cookie right after saying it. _So _that's _how he's gotten so fat, _Danny thought, joking to himself. _Anytime Mom wants to shut him up, she feeds him cookies. Like a dog! I guess I should watch out for that… _He was about to make a joke about those same cookies, when the doorbell rang. Adrenaline flooded his veins, a pure rush of emotion taking over his brain. He practically scrambled from the kitchen, past a very groggy, grumbling Evan, and a smiling Jazz, who entered the kitchen the way he left.

He reached for the doorknob, and realized his hand was shaking. He willed it to stop, but his fingers were still trembling as he turned and released it. The door creaked open, and there stood Sam Manson, wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, black high-tops, and a weary smile. Danny moved past the door and drew her to himself, squeezing her tightly and kissing her forehead.

"Come on," he said, loudly. "I want you to _meet _the folks."

"Danny," Sam whispered, "I've known them since we were little."

"But you weren't _my new girlfriend _when we were little," Danny winked.

"Ah," she nodded in understanding. "…gotcha."

He took her hand, and she looked up at him.

"Why are you shaking?"

"I'm not." Danny blushed.

Sam smiled to herself. "Okay." _He's so adorable, _she thought, letting him lead her to the kitchen.

"Oh, I forgot and cooked bacon," he whispered when they were still out of earshot.

She frowned up at him. "Fine. Just don't make me eat it."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

And so, they stepped into the kitchen, and as Danny opened his mouth to speak, everyone gasped. Even Jack, who apparently was the most shocked – probably since he never had the slightest clue in the first place.

"Sam! I heard you were in London?" Jack was the first to speak.

"Did he steal you?" Evan asked, winking.

"You could say that," Sam said, laughing nervously.

Jazz looked from Danny, to Sam, and back again. Her eyes bulged, and her eyebrows shot up, as if she were silently asking him something. He just smiled at her. Danny looked so content, so proud and so joyful that it flooded Sam with newfound confidence. _Yeah, this just might work after all, _she thought to herself.

"Well, if she wasn't your girlfriend before, congratulations!" Jack said boisterously.

Sam cocked her head and shot Danny an accusatory look. He grinned innocently, shrugging. She rolled her eyes. He squeezed her hand.

"Yes, Danny, this is truly wonderful. Not completely unexpected, of course," Maddie smiled warmly at Sam, who grinned back. "But still, absolutely wonderful." She embraced both of them, and it flooded Sam with happiness.

A look that washed over Jazz's face explained to Sam that she had decided something. And then she smiled, and moved past Danny, and hugged Sam. Sam let go of Danny's hand and hugged her back, fighting a sudden unexpected flood of tears the motion brought her.

Jazz whispered in her ear, "You take care of him, Sam Manson. He loves you more than anything." And then she squeezed her tighter before releasing her.

Jack then moved in for the kill, lifting both Danny and Sam on either side, squeezing them to himself, laughing and shaking them in the process. (Always the comic relief.)

"You smooth-talker, you," Jack punched Danny lightly in the arm after putting them back down on the kitchen floor.

Danny's blue eyes danced.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving." Sam announced. Everybody laughed and agreed, taking their places around the table. Sam and Jazz helped dish out eggs to whomever wanted some, and then they all sat and had a wonderful meal together.

And amidst the laughter and the conversations, Sam realized something:

_This is my family._


	7. Shape of My Heart

"That was absolutely ridiculous, Danny," Jazz was berating him as she scraped and rinsed off an egg-caked dish. "You can't believe that Dad _ever _looked attractive in a _Speedo_."

"Nah, but you have to give the old man some slack. He was young once, Jazz." Danny's eyes laughed with his lips as he dried the plate Sam handed him.

"Yeah, but the thought of him in _underwear - _let alone a _bathing suit - _is seriously disturbing." Jazz shuddered visibly, handing Sam the next washed dish.

Sam burst into laughter as she rinsed the leftover soap residue from it. "I second that shudder," she announced. "It is disturbing, Danny, seriously."

"What do you think Sam, that I'm _always_ going to be this sexy?"

"Believe it or not, Danny, I haven't thought much about you being old in a Speedo."

"That's just gross," Jazz announced, rinsing the last dirty glass.

"I agree," Sam said, staring up at Danny, who pretended to be hurt.

"I am shocked, that two of the most wonderful, intelligent, beautiful, amazing women in my life are talking against me so badly. Do you hate me? Would you rather some debonair actor to be the one to finish helping you dry these dishes?" Danny put down his dish towel and threw up his arms, putting on his best melodramatic pouting act.

"Actually, yes," Jazz said finally, shaking her head.

"Mm, who should we get, Jazz?" Sam asked, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"I'm not sure…" she turned to Danny. "Any suggestions, baby brother?"

"I am too hurt right now," he said, sticking out his lower lip.

Evan entered the kitchen, pulling a fresh trash bag from the cabinet to put in the empty kitchen can. "What are these mean women doing to you, Danny?"

"Being their horrible, scheming selves." Danny said, drying the last glass.

"Tragic, isn't it?" Evan asked, putting the lid on the trash can. "The most beautiful creatures are usually the most dangerous, and deadly." He walked over to Jazz and she laughed and gave him a loud peck on the lips.

"That's it, Lover Boy," Jazz smirked at Evan. "I'm deadly, alright."

"That must make me _dangerous_," Sam pursed her lips and nodded in mock agreement.

"Absolutely," Danny put the glass up in the cabinet above his head and wiggled his eyebrows at her. She held up the spray nozzle like a loaded gun.

"Don't come any closer," Sam warned, "or we'll have to clean up another mess."

"You think a little bit of water will stop me?" He kept both eyebrows raised as he edged closer to her.

"No," Sam announced, "I guess that means you win."

Sam giggled as Danny bent down and kissed her – on the nose.

"But I am dangerous!" She said loudly, as he kissed her cheek. "And don't you forget it!" She wagged a finger at him. He planted another kiss on her forehead, and one on each eyebrow.

"Dangerous as a sleeping baby, maybe," he said, grinning.

"Oh, shut up," she said, swatting at him.

"A sleeping _baby,_" Jazz repeated, awed. Her eyes lit up. Evan bent down and kissed her, and she smiled dreamily. He put his arm around her and they walked out of the kitchen together.

"What's with her?" Sam asked, pushing Danny away from her, trying to get him to answer her question instead of kissing her.

"Oh, you know. She's just pregnant," Danny bent down for another kiss, but Sam was already dashing out of the kitchen to talk to Jazz.

"Women," Danny muttered, shaking his head.

Later that afternoon, Danny and Sam found themselves in a child-like state, in Danny's front yard, lying in the grass, just taking in the sunshine. Danny's head was resting on both of his hands, arms bent at the elbows. Sam had her hands resting on her stomach, and neither of them was talking. It was quiet, and peaceful, which allowed Sam to think.

She didn't really _like _thinking at this point.

She had gone over _all_ the scenarios, two of which even involved ending up with Jesse. _That_, she decided, was not a good sign. Danny, his adorably oblivious self, would only interfere with her thoughts by interjecting when he saw a particularly unusual or amusing cloud shape. She suddenly wished he would have something important to talk to her about, or even not-so-important. But he promised that he'd give her all the space she needed, and she started to wonder if giving her space was a good plan. Just as she was about to open up and talk to him about her fears, a familiar figure approached the yard, drooped lower than usual.

"Hey, Tuck," Danny said lazily.

"Hey," Tucker responded, as lackadaisical as a dying plant. Then he did a double-take, in Sam's general direction. "Did I miss something?"

"Pretty much," Sam smirked, patting the huge empty spot next to her in the yard.

Tucker shrugged and made his way over, resting one arm on his stomach, and the other just above his head. "Anybody care to tell me why you're home, Sam?"

"Well," she started, fidgeting her fingers.

"Remember how you said you always figured we'd end up together…?" Danny offered.

Tucker sat straight up and turned to face them.

"You're kidding me." He blurted.

Sam shook her head, laughing a little.

"Serious as a ghost thermos," Danny joked.

"Man! I told you I knew it!" Tucker laughed incredulously. "That's great, guys, really it is…" He lay back down in the grass, plucking blades in patches from the yard.

"What's wrong, Tuck? You seem down." Danny asked, resting up on his elbows.

"Eh, you were right, Danny. It was stupid of me to rush into a relationship with Hannah Baker. She and I got into a huge fight over something really stupid, and we were over before we even started," Tucker blew out his breath and shook his head.

"Well, that's sad," Danny said.

"Join the club, Tucker," Sam laughed a little, without meaning to.

Danny turned to face her. "What does that mean?"

"What do you mean, 'what does that mean'? It _means,_ a lot of things are over before they start. It's just the way of the world." Sam shot him a _back off _sort ofglare and he blinked at her.

"Are you sure that's all it means?" Danny asked, searching her face with raised brows.

"If it wasn't, don't you think I'd own up to it?" Sam scowled.

"No," both Danny and Tucker chimed, laughing at their unity.

"Oh, that's great, you and I finally get together and now you don't trust me," Sam started to pick herself up off the grass but Danny gently grabbed her wrist and sat up, pulling her back down next to him.

"I didn't say that," he told her, slowly and close to her face.

"Well, then don't leave what you say up for interpretation," Sam told him, frowning.

Danny laughed out loud, and kissed her cheek. "You'd interpret it even if I _was_ clear, sweetheart," he informed her.

She was about to retort, but Tucker cut her off. "Relax, Sam. He's goading you. Besides, all women are like that. You read between the lines. That can be a good thing; it can also be a dangerous thing. You just have to know how to use it," he told her, pointing a brown finger in her face. She scowled at him and smacked his hand away.

"Well, _honey,_ I think I'll leave you two women-bashers to your complaining about women. Go… drink beer and play darts and burp loudly. You know… _boy_ stuff." Sam gave Danny an icy glare, and his jaw dropped.

It was then that she noticed the darkening around his mouth and chin, and realized that he hadn't been shaving. She hoped more than anything he caught the teasing glint in her eyes so she didn't have to say another word.

"I don't _drink _beer," Danny announced to her, gently gripping her arms at the elbows and bending her down toward him. She didn't protest, even to a loud, quick, obnoxious peck on the lips. And when she pulled back, she saw his ecstatic grin. Yes, he had caught it.

"Yeah, you only enjoy hard liquor, right Fenton?" Tucker joked, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Oh yeah, Tuck, that's me." Danny rolled his eyes and so did Sam, shaking her head.

"I'll see you little boys later," she said, making her way towards her blue BMW that was waiting for her in Danny's driveway.

"Sam, didn't you just have a differentcar the other day? Do you get a new one every week?" Tucker asked her, squinting in confusion.

"Oh, you mean the 'Vette? That's Dad's. He just let me borrow his while mine was getting a quick tune-up. _This_ beauty, however, is all mine," she jingled the keys to the shiny blue car and made her way towards it.

"Yeah," she heard Danny say to Tucker as she was getting into the driver's seat, "but _that _beauty's _mine._" She heard Tucker's teasing laughter and knew Danny had meant _her_.

Sam smiled to herself. He was getting good at chasing her doubts away.


End file.
